„HOW TO STOP TIME“ by Matt Haig
‘I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe.
If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be very wrong.’
Teaching history at a London comprehensive Tom Hazard has settled for an ordinary urban life. Or so it seems. Due to a rare condition which causes him to age at a much slower pace than everyone else he has lived for four hundred and thirty-six years already. ‘The history guy’. Indeed. With the burden of a dozen lifetimes in mind and body his every day is defined by rules to keep him alive. One and most important of all: not to fall in love.
As brilliantly bestselling author Matt Haig explored the human condition in his previous works he knows just as well what it means to lose your good spirits in life. However, his new novel does not dwell on the suicidal paths Hazard has been on. Instead, it is a work of fiction to find comfort in and to be entertained by in times like ours.
It is an easy 325 page read. Haig tells a five part story rich of life experience, emotion and history much like Shakespeare made use of the five acts structure. You need not fear. You needn’t be what we call a history “geek” in the 21st century. Previously: A considerable number of cleverly chosen and intertwined flashbacks tap into memories explaining Hazard’s long lasting existence. From Elizabethan England with Christopher and Hal when all the world [was] a stage to Jazz-Age Paris. From hot dogs made in New York to the South Seas. From badly timed phone calls to good-looking Facebook Erik who deceased six years ago. Some are much shorter than others and all outnumber the teacher’s school life which doesn’t have hung parliaments on its curriculum. Yet.
‘How to stop time: kiss’ is an advice given by Haig, 41, in “Reasons To Stay Alive” (2015).
There is plenty of time for kissing in this story. And music. So much music. And breathing. A lot of that too.
It’s somewhat of a miracle his protagonist, presently in the company of a sensitive dog, kept breathing during his 400 something years. He’s a tough one, no doubt.
Have you ever stood outside of a building built at a time long past? Wondered, possibly in awe, about the people who have built and lived in it, let alone passed by going about their day? The weather conditions it has endured?
Its surroundings shaped and changed by destructive human force or simply nature?
We have all been there, haven’t we, and it’s how the 436-year-old born in 15th century France sees the world. Daily. Except that the people we imagine might have been his doctor, his neighbour with childcare advice, his old friend or even his enemy. Oftentimes Hazard isn’t as much in awe as we might be. A variety of ancient places, smells, noises, diseases, feelings and challenges of a poorer status quo come to his aching mind ever so easily.
He has seen a lot and carries a lot; holding himself steady but unable to share it outside the classroom.
‘You can find it easy to imagine that you are a fixed thing, inside a fixed nation, with a fixed flag, and a fixed outlook. You can imagine that these things mean something. The longer you live, the more you realise that nothing is fixed. Everyone will become a refugee if they live long enough. Everyone would realise their nationality means little in the long run. Everyone would see their worldviews challenged and disproved. Everyone would realise that the thing that defines a human being is being a human. Turtles don’t have nations. Or flags. Or strategic nuclear weapons.’
At the heart of “HOW TO STOP TIME”, apologies to the turtles everywhere, are the human beings Tom has encountered. Two handfuls of human highlights. The dangerous kind too. Not to drop names though! Some which belong to people of importance in life, and influence. Some who have famously changed our world as we know it today. Unfortunately not Alan Turing. Name drop! Some ordinary and extraordinary ones. Others to cherish and remember beyond death. In particular, the women. Haig allows them to age. Haig makes them strong, independent and confident, often saying the right things at the right time. Both now and then. They are unlike any history book stereotype each era they lived in may have forced on them and yet they are not spared from harm. This is our human history after all. What drives pensive Tom in life are women he has learned to love and care about deeply.
Make no mistake. He’s far from what we would call a “womanizer” in the 21st century. Break the rules, kiss.
Caring is a dangerous business, but ‘people you love never die’.
Old age does not lessen human desires, but it’s not that kind of story.
‘If I wasn’t your boss – which I am – if I was just your next-door neighbour – which I am not – I would say that, well, Madame Guerin has, for some crazy reason, a bit of a thing for a certain new history teacher. But obviously I wouldn’t say that, because I am a headteacher and headteachers shouldn’t say that sort of thing. It would be totally unprofessional to encourage inter-staff romances. It’s just… she’s been very quiet this last week. Have you noticed?’
‘I force a smile. ‘Fake news, I’m afraid.’’
The story of Estienne T. A. C. Hazard will make you smile and pause and angry at the injustices of the world.
At times, your heart will ache. You will find yourself root for a wise man in a reasonably young body as he searches for the meaning of the unique life he has been given. Trust Matt Haig to hold on to a moment as if time had indeed stopped only to leave you scared about what’s ahead on the next page. (There should be a sequel.)
Framed by Peter Adlington’s beautifully designed eye-catching cover in glowing yellow and blue colours,
“HOW TO STOP TIME” teaches us about hope, love, guilt, history, music, lies and caring; everything and then some of what makes our short-lived time among each other worth fighting for. Published by Conangate on July 6th 2017 (£9.09, Amazon UK, ISBN: 978-1-78211-862-6). An extract can be read in advance on the official website. Information on “The How To Stop Time Tour” launch in London, Norwich, Liverpool and elsewhere here. Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, The Imitation Game, Sherlock) is set to produce and play Tom Hazard in a production financed by StudioCanal and co-produced by SunnyMarch. No further announcements have been made.
If I may add a personal note to my book review: I didn’t intend to read this. You can read up an awful lot concerning Cumberbatch’s upcoming roles beforehand which is often joyous but potentially spoils many surprises. I wanted to be surprised by this story once it is adapted to screen and am glad I decided against it now. “HOW TO STOP TIME” smoothly made it to my short list of quickest reads. If you choose to pick it up, hopefully the lot of words above is of help; you will understand why SunnyMarch jumped at the opportunity to own the film rights well before the novel’s publication date. At least I am left with the impression there is a lot of Tom in Benedict. There is a lot for him to explore and stretch himself as an actor and a lot for all of us to identify with.
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